Your Body Never Lies: Healing Anxiety Through the Body
We’ve been taught that if we just think hard enough, we can solve anything. But when it comes to anxiety, that approach can backfire.
You can’t think your way out of anxiety - it’s a feeling problem, not just a thinking problem.
As Dr. Russell Kennedy says:
“Your mind will lie to you, but your body never will.”
Most of us try to outthink our suffering. We ruminate, analyze, distract, or numb.
But anxiety is a signal - often rooted in a disconnect between the mind and the body.
Your body is where the reaction lives. And also, where healing can begin.
The Alarm-Anxiety Loop
Dr. Kennedy offers a powerful reframing:
“Anxiety for me is anxious thoughts… What’s painful is the sense of alarm that's in our body… the alarm drives the thoughts.”
– Dr. Russell Kennedy, The Mel Robbins Podcast
He explains that anxiety stems from unresolved trauma that creates "alarm" in the body. The mind, in turn, spins anxious thoughts to explain or make sense of that alarm. This creates a cycle: alarm in the body → anxious thoughts → more alarm → more anxious thoughts.
“Insight will not fix it. What most therapy in North America misses is the incredible role of the body and old trauma stored there.”
– Dr. Russell Kennedy
Why Most Anxiety Solutions Fall Short
Dr. Kennedy emphasizes that healing doesn’t come from more thinking, more information, or even just talking about the problem.
“How you heal is you become connected to yourself. It doesn't come from outside of you.”
We often use distractions—work, substances, social media, even over-achievement—to avoid the discomfort living in our bodies. But healing requires presence. It requires feeling.
Scientific Support for Somatic Healing
Dr. Kennedy’s approach aligns with somatic-based practices like Somatic Experiencing (SE), which is supported by growing research.
A 2021 peer-reviewed study found that SE reduced PTSD symptoms, improved body awareness, and enhanced emotional resilience by working directly with internal bodily sensations—not just thoughts.
Source: National Library of Medicine
“You can’t heal a feeling problem with a thinking solution.”
– Dr. Russell Kennedy
A Somatic Practice to Begin Healing
Here’s a simple body-based practice based on Dr. Kennedy’s method:
1. Find a place in your body where you feel pain, tension, or tightness.
Gently place your hand over that area.
2. Say to yourself:
"In this moment, I am safe."
This creates a new neural association with safety and awareness.
3. Breathe intentionally:
Inhale 3 quick, sharp breaths through the nose
Hold at the top for 3–5 seconds
Exhale slowly through closed teeth like a deflating tire
4. Ask yourself:
"Am I okay in this moment?"
The answer is often yes—and that's enough to begin healing.
Go Deeper: ABC Framework for Healing
Dr. Kennedy recommends this simple framework for moving through anxiety:
A = Awareness: Track where the alarm lives in your body
B = Body + Breath: Shift out of your head and into somatic regulation
C = Compassion: Offer care to the younger version of you holding pain
“Anxiety results when trauma causes you to lose faith in the world and you start believing everything is up to you.”
He also describes the "inner child" not as a metaphor, but as a real energetic imprint in the nervous system. Healing happens when we reconnect with that part of ourselves with love, presence, and breath.
Final Thoughts
Your body is more effective at regulating your mind than your mind is at calming your body.
To truly heal anxiety, we must move beyond the mental loops and come home to the body.
By doing so, we interrupt the alarm-anxiety loop and begin to build internal safety.
“You've gotta start taking responsibility for your own body, your own alarm, and realize that it's up to you.”
This is not about bypassing your pain. It’s about showing up for it in a new way—with presence, breath, and compassion.
When we feel our way through what hurts, we make room for healing.
